I Am Nancy

2011 American film

July 1, 2011 (2011-07-01)^[1]

CountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

I Am Nancy is a 2011 American documentary that follows actress Heather Langenkamp as she explores her role as Nancy Thompson in the A Nightmare on Elm Street films, the fandom that surrounds the franchise, and why most of it focuses on Freddy Krueger, rather than Nancy.^[2]

Plot

Actress Heather Langenkamp attends several horror conventions across the globe as she interacts with fans to gain insight into why people are so drawn to the series and the characters of Nancy and Freddy. Additionally, she interviews Robert Englund and Wes Craven to understand what qualities make Nancy a definitive film hero.

Cast

Heather Langenkamp
Robert Englund
Wes Craven
June Douglas
Douglas Duart

Production

Langenkamp was inspired to make a documentary about herself and Nancy after a receptionist rebuffed her efforts to contact director Wes Craven.^[3]^[4] The film was originally planned to coincide with the 25th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street but was delayed for her participation in Never Sleep Again. Langenkamp felt that documentary did not answer all the questions that she had. Production took two years.^[5]

Release

I Am Nancy premiered at the Days of the Dead film festival.^[1]

Reception

In a positive review for Dread Central, Emilie Noetzel wrote, "I Am Nancy is a must-see for fans of the A Nightmare on Elm Street series and of Heather Langenkamp. It is at times funny, at times quite serious, and oftentimes very touching. What really makes the documentary about Nancy, and Heather, feel so real and personal is that Heather understands the fact that Nancy is secondary to Freddy to most people, and she has no problem poking fun at herself."^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b Barton, Steve (2011-02-17). "Heather Langenkamp to Debut New Film at Days of the Dead 2011". Dread Central. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
^ "I Am Nancy interview". Spectacular Optical. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
^ Collis, Clark (2011-07-29). "'Nightmare on Elm Street': Whatever Happened to Nancy?". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2012-01-12. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
^ Stratford, Jennifer Juniper (2014-04-18). "Heather Langenkamp from 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' Is Still the Ultimate Scream Queen". Vice. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
^ Wixson, Heather (2011-05-05). "Exclusive: Heather Langenkamp Discusses Her New Documentary I Am Nancy". Dread Central. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
^ Noeltzel, Emilie (2011-10-08). "I Am Nancy (2011)". Dread Central. Retrieved 2014-09-23.